The Rithmatist

By: Brandon Sanderson, Ben McSweeney

Narrated by: Michael Kramer

Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Finalist, Fantasy, 2014

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson: his debut novel for the young adult audience

More than anything, Joel wants to be a Rithmatist. Chosen by the Master in a mysterious inception ceremony, Rithmatists have the power to infuse life into two-dimensional figures known as Chalklings. Rithmatists are humanity's only defense against the Wild Chalklings—merciless creatures that leave mangled corpses in their wake. Having nearly overrun the territory of Nebrask, the Wild Chalklings now threaten all of the American Isles.

As the son of a lowly chalkmaker at Armedius Academy, Joel can only watch as Rithmatist students study the magical art that he would do anything to practice. Then students start disappearing—kidnapped from their rooms at night, leaving trails of blood. Assigned to help the professor who is investigating the crimes, Joel and his friend Melody find themselves on the trail of an unexpected discovery—one that will change Rithmatics—and their world—forever.

Bestselling author Brandon Sanderson brings his unique brand of epic storytelling to the teen audience with an engrossing tale of danger and suspense—the first of a series. With his trademark skills in world-building, Sanderson has created a magic system that is so inventive and detailed that that readers who appreciate games of strategy and tactics just may want to bring Rithmatics to life in our world.

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2013 A New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of 2013

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2013 Dragonsteel Entertainment, LLC (P)2013 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“Illustrations from McSweeney, fiesty characters, and a complex plot likely to unwind over several volumes, this high-spirited, exciting story will appeal to readers of all ages.” —Publishers Weekly starred review

“The Rithmatist contains some very good surprises on the way to a pleasingly nifty conclusion.” —New York Times Book Review

“Brandon Sanderson has created an ingenious new martial art where the chalk is mightier than the sword. In his alternative, dangerous version of the world, brave young soldiers must battle back dark forces armed with the nerves of a warrior and the skills of an artist. It's a fun read with a unique take on fighting where if you can't draw…you die.” —D.J. MacHale, New York Times bestselling author of Pendragon and SYLO.

Flawed, but enjoyable and engaging

Any additional comments?

TL;DR, this isn't perfect but it is good enough to make the flaws worth pushing past.

The narrator is very clear and easy to listen to. I took his characterizations with a grain of salt, because while they are clear and easy to tell apart, they aren't always very true to how the characters are described in text. Melody in particular is read as obnoxious rather than just melodramatic and socially apathetic. I found it easy enough to look past, though it took a bit of mental muscle to remember how the characters are meant to be.

The story itself is highly enjoyable with flaws pretty common to the genre. I feel like the writer did the female sidekick pretty dirty by dangling uniqueness and profound talents before her and, ultimately, using her as a vehicle for the male lead's success. The characterization she is given is genuinely very funny and enjoyable, and I hope to see her given more credit by other characters in future installments of the series. It is nice to see a female character embrace her femininity with pride and utter lack of give-a-damn for anyone who tries to insult her for it, and I'd love to see her grow into a real force of Rithmatics independent of Joel.

Also, the world is incredibly engaging, and this first book isn't nearly enough. I can't wait to read more about how it works!

HOT MAMA

so gripping!
The narrator is so good i could lick him... and ofcoarse the story was just out of this world!
please let me not wait forever before the next one...

Really enjoyed listening to this with my kids.

Kept our interest for the whole time on a very long car ride. Looking forward to the next installment!

Sanderson is a genius.

Very fun fantasy mystery novel. I don’t know what else to say. Just listen and enjoy!

Great story for young adults

Definitely a good read if you enjoy young adult stuff. Sure there are elements that are not developed very well (especially if your used to books like the Stormlight Archives or Wheel of Time series), but very entertaining and left me wanting to read the next one.

A great teen book, good plot, without complexity.

I have enjoyed many of Sanderson's books. This seems to be a great start in a new universe. A very entertaining plot with many of the twists that make Sanderson a joy to read. My only concern is that with so many good stories that he is developing in parallel, when do we get the next installment.

Another great Sanderson book!

This book sucked me in. I have listened to some of Sanderson's books before (I've read his other ones) and Kramer does an excellent job with the narration. If you enjoy Sanderson, you will enjoy this one too.

I loved this book !

How does Sanderson come up with his ideas ?
He has become my favorite author and he never lets me down.
This book was awesome as usual.
The only thing I regret is that I cannot find any sequel to the book.

School Fantasy

I always appreciate a good Fantasy book where the hero is an underdog, student. Other than just a great story and cool magic, what I loved about this book was the physical world Sanderson created. It was close enough to our own world to just feel really creapy. He obviously put a lot of thought into it, much more than we learned from the pages of this book. I'm excited to read the next book.

Stupendous

I understand why some people rate this as their favorite non-cosmere Sanderson. it's absolutely delightful.